JPS - II Kings - 4

4:1  Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying: 'Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear HaShem; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen.'

4:2  And Elisha said unto her: `What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house?' And she said: 'Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.'

4:3  Then he said: 'Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4:4  And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full.'

4:5  So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out.

4:6  And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son: 'Bring me yet a vessel.' And he said unto her: 'There is not a vessel more.' And the oil stayed.

4:7  Then she came and told the man of G-d. And he said: 'Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest.'

4:8  And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

4:9  And she said unto her husband: 'Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of G-d, that passeth by us continually.

4:10  Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the roof; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick; and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.'

4:11  And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the upper chamber and lay there.

4:12  And he said to Gehazi his servant: 'Call this Shunammite.' And when he had called her, she stood before him.

4:13  And he said unto him: `Say now unto her: Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?' And she answered: 'I dwell among mine own people.'

4:14  And he said: 'What then is to be done for her?' And Gehazi answered: 'Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.'

4:15  And he said: 'Call her.' And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

4:16  And he said: 'At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son.' And she said: 'Nay, my lord, thou man of G-d, do not lie unto thy handmaid.'

4:17  And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her.

4:18  And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

4:19  And he said unto his father: 'My head, my head.' And he said to his servant: 'Carry him to his mother.'

4:20  And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

4:21  And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of G-d, and shut the door upon him, and went out.

4:22  And she called unto her husband, and said: 'Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of G-d, and come back.'

4:23  And he said: Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath.' And she said: 'It shall be well.'

4:24  Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: 'Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.'

4:25  So she went, and came unto the man of G-d to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of G-d saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant: 'Behold, yonder is that Shunammite.

4:26  Run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her: Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?' And she answered: 'It is well.'

4:27  And when she came to the man of G-d to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of G-d said: 'Let her alone; for her soul is bitter within her; and HaShem hath hid it from me, and hath not told Me.'

4:28  Then she said: 'Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say: Do not deceive me?'

4:29  Then he said to Gehazi: 'Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way; if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not; and lay my staff upon the face of the child.'

4:30  And the mother of the child said: 'As HaShem liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And he arose, and followed her.

4:31  And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: 'The child is not awaked.'

4:32  And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.

4:33  He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto HaShem.

4:34  And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

4:35  Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

4:36  And he called Gehazi, and said: 'Call this Shunammite.' So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said: 'Take up thy son.'

4:37  Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.

4:38  And Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant: 'Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.'

4:39  And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not.

4:40  So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said: 'O man of G-d, there is death in the pot.' And they could not eat thereof.

4:41  But he said: 'Then bring meal.' And he cast it into the pot; and he said: 'Pour out for the people, that they may eat.' And there was no harm in the pot.

4:42  And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of G-d bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of corn in his sack. And he said: 'Give unto the people, that they may eat.'

4:43  And his servant said: 'How should I set this before a hundred men?' But he said: 'Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith HaShem: They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.'

4:44  So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of HaShem.